


Never Be The Same

by lannisterslioness



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Smut, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Mechanic Rey, Near Death Experiences, Poe Dameron is a former racer, Psychological Trauma, Scars
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2018-02-20
Packaged: 2019-02-18 16:57:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13104540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lannisterslioness/pseuds/lannisterslioness
Summary: (A re-write of one of my long abandoned fics, "A Second Chance")**Poe Dameron is a former Formula One racing champion, known for his flawless victories on the infamous and most dangerous race of all time, The Dragon Void Run. But, when he ends up in an accident that almost takes his life, he retires from racing and going near cars altogether for good. Five years later, Poe ends up moving in next door to a cheerful girl named Rey and her family, who just so happens to have a deep love and passion for cars, particularly for the one car he's kept after all these years still - a Jaguar 150S Roadster. While the two bond over their love of cars and Rey helps Poe keep the Jaguar up and running, the two slowly start to become something more, and Poe becomes terrified of Rey figuring out his past and seeing his scars - both physical and mental - for the first time.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hi guys! So this is the first one up for re-writes of my old Damerey fics that never got finished. I was looking through them all and this one really jumped out at me so I wanted to get it re-written and started while I was thinking about it! It's one of my favorite AU's as well and I'm determined to finish this story this time. I hope you guys like it, I know there are a lot of new Damerey shippers out there now after TLJ who never got to read this first version of this story, so hopefully, you enjoy it! :3

     _POE DAMERON, professional Formula One racer and reigning champion of the world’s most difficult race - The Dragon Void Run - has been hospitalized today after nearly dying in the twelve car pile up on the track that has already claimed the lives of three other racers. The champion’s condition is unknown at this time past what we know from the first responders from prying him out of his flaming and wrecked vehicle unconscious. One thing's for certain from incoming reports and its that the great racer may never be able to get behind the wheel of a race car again._

  


* * *

 

  


**Five Years Later**

 

    “Come on, Rey, they’ve been planning this for months,” Finn said, leaning up against the ‘69 Chevy Impala Rey had spent a better part of the morning on trying to fix the transmission.

 

    Rey blew a few strands of hair out of her face, desperately resisting the urge to reach up and grab it only to get grease smeared throughout her hair. She had been bent over this car all morning and no matter what she tried, there was still something she wasn’t getting, something that wasn’t connecting and getting this old beauty up and running again. While she loved her best friend, Finn, more than anything else in the world, him coming by the shop and distracting her from this big project wasn’t exactly helping at the moment, especially with him trying to sell her on sneaking out to go see a very illegal drag race tonight that was being hosted by the infamous Black Squadron.

 

    “You know better than anyone else that there’s nothing like the races they put on,” Finn said.

 

    “Yeah, they all end with either everyone getting arrested or someone getting hospitalized and then arrested,” Rey grumbled.

 

    “Not always,” Finn said, Rey glared at him for only a second before he faltered, “alright, so someone always does get arrested, but that makes it more thrilling don’t you think?”

 

    “I’m just now getting out of hot water with my parents for the last time I went to a Black Squadron race where I was very, _very_ drunk and tried to fight a police officer,” Rey said.

 

    “So we don’t drink this time, that’s easy enough,” Finn said.

 

    “Sorry Finn but not happening this time,” Rey said, “I’d like to be able to take the Falcon out for a ride again sometime this century and heading out to one of those races won’t help out the cause in any way.”

 

    “I still don’t know why you love that damn car so much,”Finn said.

 

    “Family heirloom,” Rey smirked, “why don’t you ask Rose to go with you?”

 

    “What? Like...like a date?” Finn asked, somewhat nervous now.

 

   “Right, because illegal drag races in the middle of the night are _so_ romantic,” Rey said, surprised to see Finn’s shoulders slump at her observation, “or maybe they are to her! Maybe Rose likes danger, nothing more dangerous than those races.”

 

    “Yeah, nothing wrong with a little bit of adventure,” Finn said, perking back up slightly.

 

    “Is there any actual working going on over here or are we just talking?” The booming and familiar voice of her father, Han Solo, came up from behind them, startling Finn and causing him to jump.

 

    Han looked between the two of them before peaking in under the hood where Rey was still working, trying and yet again failing and letting out a frustrated sigh.

 

   “There’s working but I’m about ready to rip this transmission out entirely and toss it across the lot,” Rey said.

 

    “Sorry Mr. Solo, I just came by to say hi to Rey on my lunch,” Finn apologized quickly, “I’ll text you later, Rey.”

 

    “Bye,” Rey waved her friend off, catching the glare still from her father, “What?”

 

    “You two weren’t talking about that Black Squadron race tonight, were you?” Han asked.

 

   “What? No, of course not,” Rey said, quickly hoping to change the subject.

 

   “Mhmm, you know if I have to bail you out again kid-”

 

    “You’ll take all car privileges away until I’m thirty, yes, I know,” Rey sighed, “I’m not going, I told Finn to ask this girl he likes out on a date there.”

 

   Seeming to accept this answer and her honesty, Han cracks a bit of a smile before taking the tool from Rey’s hands and stopping her from working. “Why don’t you go home early for the day, give this thing a break, alright?”

 

    “Do you really want me to go home to take a break or do you just want me to go to make sure Chewie gets his medicine that you hate giving him?” Rey asked with a knowing smirk.

 

    “...A little of both,” Han admitted, “that dog hates needles unless it’s you giving them to him, I don’t know what it is.”

 

    At that, Rey laughed, gladly handing over the rest of her tools and wiping the grease off of her hands and onto her overalls. “Are you sure you can close this place up yourself tonight?”

 

    “Lando’s staying late tonight, he’ll help me out,” Han assured her.

 

    “Alright,” Rey sighed, “leave this one here for me, I'm not letting anyone else finish it, this car and I have a score to settle.”

 

    “Anyone ever tell you your stubborn, kid?” Han asked

 

    “Anyone ever tell you I take after you way too much?” Rey asked.

 

    “Yeah, your mother all the time,” Han said.

 

    Rey cracked a smile at that one, she may have been adopted by Han and Leia when she was just a girl, but to her, they were her parents regardless, and they made sure she knew that she was loved.

 

    “Go on, go enjoy the day, do something a young kid with nothing to do would do, just don't get arrested,” Han said.

 

    “That I can actually promise you for once,” Rey said.

  


* * *

 

  


    Rey was strong, she could handle more than most people thought, especially physically. But few things, even after years of having Chewie as a pet, prepared her for the massive one-hundred and forty-pound Newfoundland jumping on her as soon as she walked through the door, nearly knocking her down every single time.

 

    “It's nice to see you too Chewie, it's only been a few hours,” Rey said, walking past the happy dog and into the house to grab his leash, “come on, let's go for a walk and then it's time for your medicine.”

 

    Chewie stayed attentive, watching Rey's every movie until he heard a faint bark from outside. Chewie turned and looked out the open door curiously, Rey just noticing what he was planning.

 

    “Chewie, no,” Rey said, warning in her voice.

 

    The barking came again, and this time Chewie took off at top speed out the open door, barking as well and chasing the sound.

 

    “CHEWIE,” Rey called out, grabbing ahold of his leash and chasing after him out the door.

 

    Thankfully, Chewie didn't go far, just next door to the neighbors new fenced in front yard where a small corgi was barking happily through the slats of the white picket fence. Chewie stood at the gate curiously, shoving his nose through the slats and trying to get a good scent on the small pup. Before Chewie could notice, Rey hooked his leash on his collar just to get a hold of him.

 

    “Chewbacca, come on, let's go get your harness on,” Rey huffed, catching her breath after the sudden run.

 

    Chewie stayed firmly planted, sniffing the pup still before the little ball of fur licked Chewie’s nose with a smile, wagging his stubby little tail happily. Taking another good sniff, Chewie decided the pup was alright and returned the lick, wagging his tail now as well.

 

    “Beebee-Ate,” A new voice called out now, Rey looking up to see someone coming out the front door of the home now.

 

    “I'm sorry, my dog got away from me and he wanted to investigate, he's friendly I promise,” Rey reassured the neighbor right away.

 

    She'd seen their new neighbor maybe once or twice in the three months he'd been living next door, usually from a distance, her parents mostly being the ones interacting with him whenever they caught him outside. They said he was the son of some family friends long ago, they'd been especially close with Uncle Luke from what Rey understood, but Rey had barely ever seen him herself.

 

    “It's alright, Beebee-Ate loves meeting new people, maybe a little too much sometimes,” He assured her.

 

    With her first good look at him, Rey didn't expect what she finally got to see. He was younger than she thought though some features let her know he was older than her, mainly he gray patches in his stubble. His dark hair was curly and a little unkempt, in the need of a haircut, but underneath all that there was just something about him that made Rey's thoughts just a bit harder to focus on.

 

    “I'm Rey,” She introduced herself, holding out her hand for him to shake.

 

    “I'm Poe,” He said, taking her hand for a quick shake before letting go, “Rey, you're Han’s daughter right? He was talking about you when we talked a few days ago.”

 

    “Good things I hope,” Rey said, though she was surprised to hear that her father had talked about her at all to a stranger, he was usually one to keep things private.

 

    “Mostly that you have a love of cars,” Poe said, “I have a car you might be interested in looking at sometime.”

 

    “Depends on what it is,” Rey said cautiously, she was interested in seeing classic cars anytime, but despite her parents seemingly knowing him, Rey was always wary of new people.

 

    “It’s a ‘59 Jaguar, a 150S Roadster,” Poe said.

 

    At the mention of that, Rey couldn’t help but be a bit more interested. That car was a classic, a real beauty that even her father had to admit was something special despite the deep love he had for his Falcon. She’d only ever seen one once in her life before and had dreamed of seeing one up close and personal again, only this time being able to sit behind the wheel of it at least.

 

    “Seriously?” Rey asked.

 

    “Yeah, seriously,” Poe said with a bit of a smirk.

 

    Chewie started to tug on his leash back towards the house, almost trying to take Rey off of her feet.

 

    “Are you free later on? I’d love to see it but I have to make sure this big guy here doesn’t turn the house into his own personal toilet,” Rey said.

 

    “Yeah, sure, just come on over whenever,” Poe assured her.

 

    “Great, I’ll see you later,” Rey said.

 

    “I’ll be here,” Poe said.

 

    With that Rey finally relented to Chewie’s tugging, walking him back towards the house to go get his harness and remembering to shut the front door this time. The whole entire time, Rey couldn’t stop thinking about getting back to that Jaguar and taking a look at it.

  


* * *

 

  


    After her more than tiring walking with Chewie, Rey made her way back over to Poe’s house, greeted cheerfully by the easily excitable Corgi pup. Hearing his dog's excited barks, Poe opened the front door just before Rey reached it.

 

    “Hey,” Rey said, trying to swallow down her slight nerves; while she was excited to see the car, meeting new people was never her strong suit.

 

    “Hey, come on in, we’ll cut through the garage this way, I still haven't got Beebee-Ate used to the noise of the garage door opening yet, he's scared of it,” Poe explained, stepping aside to let her enter the house.

 

    “Oh, that's fine,” Rey said, entering the home with the little Corgi happily at her heels.

 

    It didn't take long for Rey to piece together that Poe Dameron had a love of cars, and more importantly, racing them. His hallway was lined with pictures and newspaper articles, all surrounding the wins of one racer, however - Shara Bey.

 

    “Shara Bey, that name sounds familiar,” Rey mused, her eyes scanning over the pictures.

 

    “She was my mom,” Poe said, “fastest racer alive of her time.”

 

    “That's your mom?” Rey asked with a twinge of excitement, “that's amazing, I wish I followed racing a bit more.”

 

    “I used to love it myself but things happen I guess,” Poe said with a shrug, a kind of dismissive mess that told Rey he wanted to move on, “ready?”

 

    “Lead the way,” Rey said.

 

    The deeper Poe lead her through his house, the signs of racing started to fade away, there were still accolades of Shara Bey’s racing career, but Rey noticed that beyond that, there were little to no things about Poe himself around. A few pictures of his family, some pictures that must have been recently taken of the small Beebee-Ate, and then just furniture. No signs of a family of his own or even a girlfriend, no signs that anyone other than himself and his dog existed in the house. Close to the garage door right off the kitchen was probably the most telling thing about Poe, a giant liquor cabinet that was filled with half drunk bottles and glasses of all shapes and sizes. While Poe opened the door, she caught a glimpse of some newspaper article in a frame that had his name on it, but before she could read it, Poe was already turning on the lights in the spacious garage and holding the door open for her.

 

    The minute Rey set foot in the garage, her breath was taken away. The car was a glossy black, beautiful leather interior, and the chrome was so pristine that it shined like a diamond underneath the fluorescent lights. It was the kind of car Rey dreamed about getting her hands on one day, or better yet driving it.

 

    “When was the last time you took her out for a ride?” Rey asked, still mesmerized by the car.

 

    “Five years ago,” Poe said.

 

    Rey stopped in her tracks and turned to face him now, a look of shock clear as day on her face.

 

    “ _Five years ago?”_ She asked.

 

    “It still runs, I've had people take it out to keep it going,” Poe said nonchalantly as if five years was a reasonable amount of time to sit for a car like this.

 

    “You have this beautiful Jaguar in your garage and you haven't driven it for five years?” Rey asked, persisting with her question, “That's almost criminal.”

 

    Poe nervously tugged on the long sleeves of his shirt now, Rey feeling a pang of guilt for making him uncomfortable in his own home.

 

    “I'm sorry, I'm sure you have a reason why,” Rey quickly said, averting her eyes back to the car.

 

    “No, it's fine, I just...it's nothing really,” Poe mumbled, walking over to her but she took note of how he avoided even accidentally making contact with the car, “she is due for another ride out though if you wanna take her for a spin.”

 

    “Oh, no, I couldn't, this car is beautiful but...it's your car and well -”

 

    “It's not doing much good here in this garage,” Poe said, “besides, I can tell you really love this thing.”

 

    He walked up to the wall behind him and picked up the keys, handing them over to Rey without hesitation.

 

    “Are you sure? I mean, we've just met,” Rey said.

 

    “And your my next door neighbor, not many places to go hiding from there,” Poe smirked.

 

    “But...I don't know, not saying that I'm an irresponsible driver but...I'm only nineteen,” Rey said, feeling obligated to let him know.

 

    “Hell, I was racing around in cars like these when I was nineteen, something tells me you'd be way more responsible with it than me when I was nineteen,” Poe said.

 

    “...I don't have anywhere to go in it,” Rey said as her last attempt at trying to let Poe keep the car.

 

    “I hear there's a drag race going on tonight, it's exactly the kind of place this car needs to be shown off at,” Poe said.

 

     _Of course the race,_ Rey thought, the very same race she'd promised her father she wouldn't go to tonight. But, it was a hell of a nice car, and if she only stayed for an hour or so before the real dangerous races started, well…

 

    “Alright,” Rey said, taking the keys from him, “I'll bring it back before midnight, I promise.”

 

    “Don't worry about it, just have fun with it,” Poe assured her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you all for reading the first chapter! I'm glad so many of you liked the re-write and so many new people liked this new version of this AU. I'm trying to alternate between one-shots and chapters for the longer fics so I don't bog things down with just chapter updates for long fics people might not want to read, so in the next few days, I should have a new one-shot posted!

    She promised her father that she wouldn't go here, the drag races were nothing but trouble every single time - someone always got arrested no matter what. But surely, she hoped, he would understand that this was a _dream_ for her, to not only be sitting in but actually driving the kind of car she'd only drooled over since she was a young girl. This was her Falcon, though unlike her father's beloved car, she didn't actually own this one and only had tonight with it for the foreseeable future, she had to make it count.

 

    Rey knew Finn was around here somewhere, but being he was more than likely on his date with Rose, she didn't want to interfere with that, especially since it's taken him months to work up the courage to do so. She tried to keep to the outskirts of the makeshift gathering that took place on the old and abandoned streets under the Alderaan City bridge, trying to stay close to the car given the number of people there that already seemed to have had a couple of drinks. She felt almost uncomfortable on her own, finding herself scanning the crowd to hopefully find Finn or Rose despite not wanting to interrupt things. The sun was just starting to set and offer the race the privacy that they needed under the moonlight.

 

    “Nice car,” a young woman came up beside her, admiring the Jaguar Rey had been too anxious to leave alone, “A ‘59?”

 

    “Yeah,” Rey nodded, “it's not mine though, it's a friend.”

 

    “Well, they've got incredibly good taste,” She smirked, holding her hand out towards Rey, “I'm Jess, I race with Black Squadron.”

 

    “Rey,” Rey introduced herself, shaking Jess’ hand.

 

    “Must be one hell of a friend you have for them to let you take this beauty out,” Jess said, admiring the car still, though her eyes lingered on the faint detail of the custom small orange pinstripe that went down the sides.

 

    “He was pretty adamant about me taking it out for a ride,” Rey shrugged, what else could she have said? She'd only just met Poe after all…

 

    “Wish I had friends like that, then again all my friends watch me race and probably know better than to let me behind the wheel of their beloved cars,” Jess laughed.

 

    “Jess, we’re starting in ten minutes,” A new voice interrupted the conversation, this time a man with another woman at his side, the two of them with helmets in their hands.

 

    The man handed Jess one of the helmets he had in his grasp while the blonde haired woman at his side tried to peer around Jess to see the car.

 

    “Relax Snap, that’s plenty of time, I already checked over everything earlier anyway,” Jess sighed, taking the helmet from him, “besides, I couldn’t just walk past a car like this.”

 

    Snap took a look at the car now too, walking up beside it with a bit of a smile cracking his stern features now.

 

    “It’s one hell of a car,” Snap said.

 

    “I feel like I’ve seen this exact one somewhere before though,” The blonde haired woman said.

 

    “Are you just stumbling upon beauties like these all the time and not telling us, Karé?” Jess asked.

 

    “No, it’s just the orange seems...specific,” Karé said, turning to Rey now, “Your car?”

 

    “No, it’s my neighbors,” Rey explained again.

 

    “Orange and black? That sounds like Dameron,” Snap commented, looking closer at the orange detailing on the car now.

 

    “You know him?” Rey asked.

 

    It was wrong for her to be a bit nosey about her neighbor’s life already, they’d only just met and he seemed nice enough, especially since he let her just take his car out, but he seemed like he had so much history. Between his mother’s racing history he had hanging on the walls of his home to the infamous Black Squadron now being able to recognize his car on the spot, there was certainly more to him than just a quiet man living a quiet life.

 

    “No way, this is actually Poe’s?” Jess asked with a twinge of excitement in her voice now, “Poe is your neighbor?”

 

    “Yeah,” Rey nodded.

 

    “You have to tell us where I haven’t seen him or heard from him in ages. I bet he-”

 

    “Jess,” Snap cut her off, “you ever stop and think there was probably a reason why Poe just stopped talking to all of us?”

 

    Jess turned to Snap, a dejected look now on her face. There was clearly _a lot_ more to Poe Dameron than even Rey thought.

 

    “You guys know him?” Rey asked.

 

    “Knew him, it was a while ago though, back when he was the big shot out of all of us,” Karé said, her hand resting on the car now for only a moment, “he disappeared after his accident.”

 

    “Accident?” Rey asked.

 

    “You really did just get to know him, huh?” Jess asked, “It...it’s probably better if he just tells you whenever he wants, it’s not my place. He didn’t like to talk about it much back then, and if he’s staying away from everyone still, I imagine he still doesn’t like to talk about it much.”

 

     _“Ladies and gentleman, the race will be starting in five minutes!”_ A voice shouted over the rigged up speakers scattered through the area surrounding the road.

 

    “Could you just do us one small favor?” Jess asked, Rey, nodding in return, “Tell Poe we didn’t forget about him, and if he wants to see us, we’ll still be in town for a few more days. Our numbers are still the same too if he wants to call or something.”

 

    “I-I’ll let him know,” Rey said.

 

    With that, the three racers shuffled off, leaving Rey to her own devices again. She was going to stay a bit longer, maybe see part of a race, but now between the guilt weighing on her from breaking her promise to her father and wanting to know more about Poe, she decided against it. The whole drive back she kept trying to think up how to ask Poe about what happened to him years ago, this accident of his that Jess had mentioned.

  


* * *

 

  


    Rey pulled into the driveway and hopped out of the car as quickly as she could, her mind still racing on the internal debate she had the whole way here of whether or not she should mention what happened at the race. Then again, he was the one who sent her there, wouldn’t he have known that his former friends would recognize his car? Or would he have hoped that they wouldn’t have even seen her and the car and just thought of the race in the moment as a suggestion to get her to take his car out? Regardless, Rey still didn’t know what to do about the situation, how could she possibly bring up what must have been a terrible moment in his life for the sake of her own curiosity? If it was enough to cause him to pull away from his friends, she knew it wasn’t some small fender bender that could be easily forgotten, especially with all the connections Rey was now putting together between him and racing.

 

    She knocked on the front door and couldn’t help but smile at the sound of the tiny barks from Beebee-Ate, or how adorably happy the little pup was when Poe opened up the door and he realized who it was.

 

    “You’re back early,” Poe said, stepping aside to allow Rey into the house.

 

    “I promised my father earlier that I wouldn’t go there in the first place, last time I went I was arrested with my friend Finn for underage drinking,” Rey admitted, “among other things really.”

 

    “Sounds like an interesting story,” Poe smirked.

 

    “Oh trust me, it is,” Rey laughed, taking the keys out of her pocket and handing them back over to Poe, “but, I believe these belong to you.”

 

    “Everything handles alright?” Poe asked, “It’s been a couple of months since I last had someone take her out.”

 

    “She ran like a dream,” Rey said, hesitating for a moment before her next thought, “Why has it been so long? Why don’t you take the car out?”

 

    At that, Poe froze up, his smile briefly fading before forcing it back on his face and taking the keys from Rey.

 

    “I, uh, I don’t really drive in general anymore,” Poe said.

 

    “Why?” Rey asked.

 

    “...It’s a long story for another time,” Poe said, gently letting her down.

 

    Rey nodded, knowing that if she pushed any further she would more than likely hit what appeared to be a sensitive nerve from how he was acting. It was a story for people who were far better acquainted with one another than they were right now. Beebee-Ate whined at her feet, begging for some attention before Rey happily obliged and knelt down to pet the small Corgi.

 

    “Are you doing anything tomorrow?” Rey asked.

 

    “No, not really, why?” Poe asked.

 

    “Well, Chewie and Beebee-Ate seemed to get on pretty well earlier, I thought maybe they could have a doggie playdate or something like that. You can bring Beebee-Ate over or I could bring Chewie over here,” Rey offered.

 

    A genuine smile crossed Poe’s face again. She wanted to get to know Poe but she didn’t want to be nosey to the point of pushing him away. Baby steps seemed to be the best way to start building up a relationship of sorts with him and if doggie play dates were the way to do it, then Chewbacca making some friends wouldn't hurt anything.

 

    “Can Chewie swim?” Poe asked.

 

    “He can kind of doggie paddle,” Rey said.

 

    “I’ve got a pool in the back, Beebee-Ate loves in, maybe Chewie will to,” Poe said.

 

    “Sounds like a plan to me,” Rey said with a grin, “I’ll bring him by in the afternoon?”

 

    “Yeah, sounds good,” Poe said.

 

    Rey got to her feet and made a move to leave, but instead, she hesitated and face Poe again.

 

    “I’m sorry by the way, I didn’t mean to be pushy or anything, I-”

 

    “Don’t worry about it,” Poe said, dismissing the topic entirely, “we’ll talk about it some other time, I promise.”

  


* * *

 

  


    If you asked Han about Leia, he would tell you that it was useless to try and hide anything from her, and Rey had learned that many times over during the years she'd been with them. Leia had a way of knowing everything, _especially_ if you were trying to hide something. In a roundabout way, Rey supposed it was nice as she'd developed the need to be completely honest with everyone she met, even if it meant getting herself in trouble sometimes. The minute her mother's brown eyes landed on her as she walked through the front door, Rey immediately wanted to spill her guts.

 

    “How was your day?” Leia asked, holding the family cat, Threepio, in her arms, “I saw you over at Poe’s when I was letting Threepio back in.”

 

    “Yeah, I met him today,” Rey said, thinking of how to word her next statement, “Dad let me go early and when I came home to walk Chewie, Chewie decided to go meet his dog and we started talking from there.”

 

    “You two go out anywhere?” Leia asked.

 

    “What? No,” Rey said, “he, uh, he let me drive his car for a bit and...don't freak out but, I went to the Black Squadron race, only for an hour though and I left before the racing even started.”

 

    Leia didn't seem surprised at all to hear any of this, just offering up a small smile before putting Threepio down on the sofa.

 

    “I'm glad you told me, but I'm even happier that you didn't get in trouble like last time,” Leia said.

 

    Rey was relieved to hear that, letting herself relax a bit more now and feeling less on edge. Telling her father would be a whole other story, but for now, at least her mother understood.

 

    “I met the racers though, they knew Poe’s car, he let me drive it out there,” Rey explained.

 

    “That doesn't surprise me, he used to race with them before he went or on his own,” Leia said.

 

    “He was a racer?” Rey asked curiously, some things beginning to make sense now about him.

 

    “The best one I'd ever seen, even your father had to agree on that,” Leia said, “we used to babysit him when we had Ben around, all that boy ever wanted to do was be in a car, it even rubbed off on Ben a bit. But Poe followed in his mother's footsteps and became one hell of a racer.”

 

    “Why did he stop?” Rey asked.

 

    “It was a few months after his mother died, he was racing in The Dragon Void Run, most dangerous race around, he'd won it before, but he was distracted that year. He got in a twelve car pileup that killed three of the other racers and nearly killed him too,” Leia said, “his father told me he hasn't touched a car since then. He keeps that Jaguar though no matter what, it was his mother's that she passed on to him, he got rid of everything that reminded him of racing, except for all of her things.”

 

     _The Dragon Void Run,_ Rey had heard of that despite her lack of keeping up with racing, it truly was the most dangerous race in the world. For Poe to have survived such a terrible accident she now understood why he didn't want to drive the Jaguar anymore, or drive in general. She felt a pang of sadness wash over her now and wanted nothing more than to help Poe in any way she could.

 

    “He was looking for a new place to live, and when your father and I told him about the house next door, he jumped at the chance,” Leia said, “I think he knew we would still treat him the same despite everything that's happened to him, that's all he really wants right about now.”

 

    “I've got plans with him tomorrow,” Rey said, “Chewie seemed to like his dog and I figured that maybe I could just talk with him.”

 

    “That sounds nice,” Leia smiled warmly, “he's got a good heart, and before his accident, you couldn't get that boy to slow down for a minute. He shut out almost everyone after the accident, it might do him some good to have someone around again.”

 

    Rey felt hopeful at the aspect of them becoming friends, she didn't have many friends herself to start with and shut out many people herself. Despite Han and Leia taking her in so young, she'd spent her early childhood trying to brace herself for rejection at every turn. She'd only just befriended Finn and Rose a year ago, but before that, she kept to herself, even when Ben was around. She learned along the way that opening up to someone wasn't always painful, in fact, it could be nice to have people around who cared instead of isolation all the time. Rey couldn't fully explain why, but she had the feeling that she and Poe would become great friends once he let her in just a bit.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey everybody! Sorry, this chapter took so long! I meant to get this up way sooner but hopefully, since this chapter is kinda long it will make up for it! <3

After everything Rey had learned about Poe last night, between her mother and the extensive internet searches she did on her phone in the middle of the night when she couldn’t sleep, she wasn’t sure she could face Poe without giving herself away. It was clearly something he didn’t want to talk about, given how much he tried to hide his racing career in his own home, and from the pictures, she found of the crash she couldn’t blame him for wanting to forget it. On the other hand, some part of him deep down must have still had a love for racing and cars, if he was truly done with it he wouldn’t have held on to anything that reminded him of it, and yet there was his mother's Jaguar in the garage. She didn’t want to just bring it up out of nowhere and pry things out of him, she had to find a way to get him talking about it on his own terms. 

 

    “Come on, Chewie,” Rey grinned, clipping his leash on and leading him outside. 

 

    Chewie practically dragged her the whole way there yet again, stopping in front of the fence and wagging his tail, seeming to already know that they were heading back here. Beebee-Ate was in the front yard again, yapping happily and wagging his little tail at the sight of Chewie. Rey carefully maneuvered the two of them into the gate without letting Beebee-Ate escape and let Chewie off his leash to start playing with the little pup. Poe walked out the door a few moments later, Rey noticing something slightly different about him. 

 

    He still had the scruff of a beard trying to grow in, but he seemed to put a little more effort into looking more put together than yesterday. Still wearing long sleeves and pants despite the summer heat outside. 

 

    “It’s funny that he likes Beebee-Ate, he’s usually not this friendly with other dogs,” Rey said. 

 

    “Beebee-Ate has a way of making friends with anyone,” Poe said, “he’s just that kind of dog I guess.” 

 

    “He’s certainly playful, I’ll give him that,” Rey laughed. 

 

    “You want to come inside? There’s a doggie door in the gate on the side for them to get to the back, I have water and food out there for them,” Poe said. 

 

    “Sure, yeah, it’s way too hot out here for me,” Rey said. 

 

    She followed Poe back into his house, noticing it was a bit brighter inside the home this time as well with a few more blinds opened up and lights on through the home. It was still a bit cluttered between the half-unpacked moving boxes and things still seemingly looking for a home around the place, but it just felt lighter and more comfortable than yesterday, even Poe himself seemed a little less weary. 

 

    “I’m glad you bought this place, there used to be a family who lived here for a while but the parents got divorced, it’s just felt eerie to walk by it without anyone in it. They had three kids that were always getting into something,” Rey said. 

 

    “Yeah, I think I found some stray Barbie dolls and dinosaurs upstairs,” Poe said, a smirk on his face, “You want anything to drink?” 

 

    “Waters fine,” Rey said. 

 

    “Okay, go ahead, sit wherever you like, sorry for the mess. It’s been a while but I just haven’t gotten around to it, plus I don’t usually have visitors,” Poe said, heading towards the kitchen. 

 

    “It’s fine, when we moved into our house I had moving boxes in my room for six months,” Rey said. 

 

    She took a seat on the sofa, an old racing trophy sat on the coffee table in front of her that was engraved to his mother, Shara Bey. Rey had done some research on her too last night, she’d been one hell of a racer, holding the record for the most Dragon Void wins at twelve first place wins. She probably could have won even more, but cancer had got the best of her, she couldn’t imagine how hard it must have been on Poe, especially considering how much she clearly influenced him. 

 

    “Here you go, one water,” Poe said, handing her a glass before he sat down on the sofa beside her. 

 

    He grabbed the remote off the table and turned on the TV, keeping something on low for background noise more than anything else. She could tell from how he fiddled around with the ring on his necklace that he was nervous. 

 

    “You have a lot of your mom’s racing stuff up, did you ever like racing?” Rey asked. 

 

    “Yeah, I used to race myself,” Poe said, “I, uh, just lost interest I guess.” 

 

    “I can understand, it’s dangerous anyway,” Rey said. 

 

    “Yeah, it can be,” Poe said. 

 

    “So what do you do now?” Rey asked, steering the conversation away from the topic but hoping to come back to it later. 

 

    “Build websites for people mostly, a little bit of photography sometimes though that’s just a hobby of mine really,” Poe said. 

 

    “I love photography, my grandfather on my mother’s side took an interest in it after the war, he was a pilot in the Air Force for World War II,” Rey said. 

 

    “A pilot? That’s got to be one hell of a thrill,” Poe said, his eyes seeming to light up. 

 

    “He was one of the best, or at least in the stories my mom told me he was one of the best,” Rey said, grinning, “my grandmother, his wife, was a nurse, that’s how they met.” 

 

    “What about your parents, how did they meet?” Poe asked. 

 

    “My mom was grounded and she snuck out of the house with my Uncle to go to a midnight showing of some horror movie. A bunch of tough guys were there, showing off to their girlfriends and all of that, trying not to be scared. But my dad, who my mom was sat next to in the theater, jumped in his seat at some point and my mom laughed,” Rey said, “they bickered the whole rest of the movie aggravating the people around them. By the end of the movie though before she left, he asked her out on a date and they’ve been together ever since.” 

 

    “My parents met at the race track. My mom was a racer of course, and my dad was a mechanic, he was filling in for somebody that day that worked on my mom’s car and they started talking. He was too nervous to actually ask her out on a date so she was actually the one who asked him out,” Poe said. 

 

    “That’s sweet,” Rey said. 

 

    Poe visibly relaxed now, leaning back into the sofa and no longer fiddling with the ring around his neck. He was comfortable around her now, and Rey couldn’t help but feel a bit more comfortable around him. 

 

    “So, what do you do, Rey? I think you’re father said something about you helping out at his shop,” Poe said. 

 

    “Yeah, I’ve been helping him out there ever since he said I was old enough to, I love working on cars just as much as he does,” Rey said. 

 

    “He’s lucky to have you helping him out then from the sounds of it,” Poe said. 

 

    The two carried on talking for hours about anything and everything that came to their minds. They even ventured upstairs at some point so Poe could show her some of the pictures he’d taken. They were beautiful shots of empty racetracks or cars zooming by on the track, some were even of people, a couple were the members of Black Squadron that she’d seen just last night. She was tempted to ask him more about them, but just seeing how happy and comfortable he was with her now, she couldn’t bear to bring up something that was possibly painful again. Eventually, the day started to come to a close, Rey hadn’t even realized that almost the whole day had passed until they came downstairs again and noticed the sun beginning to set. The dogs had come in through the doggie door long ago, the both of them curled up and fast asleep on the carpet in front of the living room sofa. 

 

    “Any dinner plans?” Rey asked. 

 

    “Not really, just making something here and heading to bed probably,” Poe said with a shrug, “why?” 

 

    “I was thinking maybe you could come over for dinner if you want,” Rey said, she knew it couldn’t hurt to at least offer. 

 

    “That’s nice of you, but maybe some other time,” Poe said. 

 

    “How about I help you make dinner here then? Unless you really just want to pass out,” Rey said. 

 

    Poe thought about it for a minute, “Sure, yeah, if you really want to.” 

 

    “I’d love to, I can’t promise anything spectacular though, my mom’s the good cook in the family, I’m still learning,” Rey said. 

 

    “Hey, any little bit helps,” Poe laughed. 

 

    “Alright, let me take Chewie home and then I’ll come right back over,” Rey said. 

 

    “Sounds good, I’ll be here,” Poe said. 

  
  
  


* * *

  
  


    Rey had to swear to her mother that she was simply just helping Poe out because it seemed like the nice thing to do. A single man living on his own could probably use all the help he could get, or so she convinced herself of that. She didn’t want to admit to anyone or herself that she found Poe to be quite interesting and dying to know more about him past the accident. Not to mention, when he was comfortable and in his element, he was quite a charmer. It didn’t hurt that he was quite handsome for someone who was practically a hermit. 

 

    So, maybe she liked Poe a little bit, but it was a harmless crush developing, that was all. 

 

    She entered the home again, careful not to disturb the still sleeping Beebee-Ate, but making her way to the kitchen to let Poe know she was back. He caught a glimpse of her right as he pulled something out of the fridge. 

 

    “That was quick,” Poe said. 

 

    “The benefits of living next door,” Rey said. 

 

    “So, how are you at making enchiladas?” Poe asked. 

 

    “Considering I’ve never made them before, probably terrible,” Rey said. 

 

    “Don’t worry, I’ll teach you,” Poe said. 

 

    “I was supposed to be helping you, you know,” Rey said. 

 

    “You are helping me, you’re keeping me company on what otherwise would have been a very lonely dinner for me and Beebee-Ate,” Poe said, now wearing a smirk. 

 

    “Fine, teach me what you can and I’ll try not to set anything on fire or cut any limbs off,” Rey said. 

 

    “It’ll be fine, come on,” Poe said. 

 

    Poe taught her every step of the meal, always at her side and showing her how to do things a few times before letting her do them herself. He was actually a wonderful teacher, never hovering over her and letting her figure things out herself as she needed to. A few times he got a little closer than Rey thought he would, even helping guide her hands a few times when she was chopping and she found it hard to focus on him being too close. But she did her best, and by the time the enchiladas were done, they looked fantastic coming out of the oven. 

 

    “These are amazing,” Rey said, biting into one after they sat down at the table. 

 

    “Thanks for your help,” Poe said. 

 

    “No need to flatter me, we both know you did all the work here, I chopped up a few things and attempted making tortillas,” Rey said. 

 

    “You did good for your first time, the first time I helped my mom make these I nearly cut my finger off,” Poe said, “it just takes practice, that’s all.” 

 

    “Well, I’m glad I had you for a teacher, it was actually fun,” Rey said, “I help my mom sometimes but she gets a bit flustered in the kitchen so I only help with the easy stuff.” 

 

    “Anytime you want to learn more, I’ll be happy to help,” Poe said, “crap, I forgot drinks, would you like something? Beer?” 

 

    Rey had drunk before, it wasn’t anything new to her despite being a few years off from legally being allowed to drink. Her parents were alright with it, as long as she didn’t do anything stupid like she had the one time at the race track, they had drunk when they were young and weren’t supposed to after all. Besides, it was only a beer over dinner, it couldn’t possibly hurt. 

 

    “Sure,” Rey said. 

 

    They continued dinner with their beers, Rey feeling the alcohol starting to make her calm, letting her be even more comfortable in her environment. Poe didn’t seem to be affected until he hit his second beer and brought a new one over for her. Even after the food was gone they kept talking at the table, both getting a bit red-faced from both laughter and the alcohol. 

 

    “I should probably get going, it’s getting a little late,” Rey said. 

 

    She didn’t really want to go, but she caught a glimpse of the clock and knew that her parents would be looking for her after spending an entire day over here. 

 

    “Are you sure?” Poe asked. 

 

    Rey noticed the twinge of sadness now in his eyes, he didn’t want her to leave. They were having so much fun, and from what she could gather, she was one of the only people who had been over here long enough to hold a conversation with him. She didn’t want to leave him, but she also didn’t want her father to grab his shotgun and come charging over here. 

 

    “Yeah, I’ve got an early morning down at the shop,” Rey said, grateful that she wasn’t actually having to lie to him, she did have to get up early tomorrow morning. 

 

    “Alright,” Poe said, looking over at the clock himself now, “wow, it is late.” 

 

    “Need help with the dishes? I feel bad leaving you here with all of them alone,” Rey said. 

 

    “No, it’s fine, that’s what dishwashers are for,” Poe said, “let me walk you to the door.” 

 

    They walked to the door, Poe’s hand resting gently on the small of her back while he walked her there, Rey trying to hide her smile the whole way. When she reached the door, she hesitated, turning to face him in the small enclosed environment. 

 

    “Maybe I can come by tomorrow again if that’s alright with you?” Rey asked. 

 

    “Of course, I’ll be here,” Poe said, Rey, relieved at the sight of his eyes lighting up at the mention of it. 

 

    “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow then, I get off work around five,” Rey said. 

 

    “I look forward to it,” Poe said. 

 

    He quickly leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek, his face flush when he pulled back after realizing what he’d done. 

 

    “Sorry, sorry, it’s...it’s a habit,” Poe mumbled. 

 

    Without thinking it through herself, Rey leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek, leaving them both blushing fools though she tried to retain some of her composure and seem confident through it all. 

 

    “There, we’re even, nothing to worry about,” Rey said. 

 

    Poe grinned and gave a slight nod, the tension seeming to melt away again. 

 

    “I’ll see you tomorrow,” Rey said. 

 

    “See you tomorrow,” Poe repeated. 

 

    Rey reached for the doorknob behind her and slowly opened the door. She carefully maneuvered her way out, turning around only to wave goodbye one more time before heading home. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


    She’d expected that her parents would be suspicious, she had no doubt her father would have a million questions, but she didn’t fully prepare for them both to be sitting in the living room awaiting her return. 

 

    “Nice of you to join us again, kid,” Han said. 

 

    “Han,” Leia hissed, “welcome back home, sweetie.” 

 

    “Sorry, I just couldn’t leave him over there, he’s all alone and I felt bad just leaving him,” Rey said, she’d been working on the excuse since dinner time, it had sounded much better in her head. 

 

    “You two do anything?” Han asked, Rey, knowing full well what he meant. 

 

    “What? No!” Rey hissed, “Dad, I can spend time with a guy if I want and just be friends.” 

 

    “I’m not worried about you with them, I’m worried about them with you,” Han said. 

 

    “Dad!” Rey exclaimed. 

 

    “Han, she’s right, and she’s also an adult, she can make her own choices about what she wants and doesn’t want,” Leia said. 

 

    “I know, but she’s my little girl, and I also remember all the times you stayed out late to spend time with me when we were young,” Han said. 

 

    “That was different,” Leia said, “and I didn’t come home on nights I did that, Rey’s right here and perfectly fine, right?” 

 

    “Yes, I’m fine because, no, I did not have sex. I spent time with a guy and we just talked, that’s it,” Rey said. 

 

    She could feel her cheeks turning bright red having to have this conversation with her parents, but in truth, there were few times this conversation ever had to come up. 

 

    “Alright, alright, go ahead, you’re free to go,” Han said. 

 

    Rey rushed past them, wanting to get to her room and get under the covers as soon as possible, hoping to forget the embarrassment. 

 

    “She look funny to you?” Han asked once he heard Rey’s door shut. 

 

    “A little lovestruck, but trust me, if they had done anything she would have been skipping into the house with a grin plastered on her face,” Leia said. 

 

    “Maybe I should talk to Dameron about-” 

 

    “Han, let it go,” Leia said, “she’s growing up, she’s an adult now. She’s still your little girl but she can make her own choices about her life now without us. Besides, would you rather she liked someone like Poe who you know and trust, or would you rather have her fall for someone else that you don’t know?” 

 

    Han was silent for a moment before he grumbled out his reply, “If I had to choose, Dameron.” 

 

    “It’s probably just a crush, either way, it’s someone new and exciting in her life,” Leia said. 

 

    “You honestly believe that? I haven’t seen her that happy in a while,” Han said. 

 

    “...No,” Leia said, “I know how happy she was. I haven’t ever seen her that happy over a guy.” 

 

    “She’s like you in that way, falling in love way too young,” Han said. 

 

    “I guess she is, but it turned out alright,” Leia said with a smirk. 

 

    “Yeah, it did,” Han said, “...I say we get him over here for dinner one night.” 

 

    “You are not scaring him off, Han, we practically raised that boy with Ben,” Leia said. 

 

    “I’m not scaring him off, just catching up with him,” Han said. 

 

    “If Rey comes home still this happy in two weeks, then we’ll have him over for dinner,” Leia said. 

 

    “Fine, I can wait,” Han said. 

 

    “You’re impossible sometimes,” Leia said. 

 

    “I know,” Han smirked. 


End file.
